Sick Day
by RebelFanja
Summary: (Takes place during season 2, not long after Child's Play) Lloyd isn't feeling well, so his friends encourage him to take the day off. The problem is, with the Serpentine still on the loose and a final battle with his dad looming on the horizon, Lloyd doesn't have time to sit around and be lazy. The Green Ninja can't get sick. Can he?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, Fanja here! This is part 1/3 of a little short story I wrote. It's finished, I'll just be updating through the weekend. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

It was the middle of the night and Lloyd couldn't seem to get any sleep. He was tossing and turning in his bed, trying to find a position that felt right, but no matter what he did, he felt stiff and uncomfortable. And he couldn't find a balance with his blankets, always too hot or too cold. Honestly, he was surprised that he hadn't woken the others yet.

Lloyd sighed to himself, listening to the low hum of the _Bounty_ 's engines. He was so exhausted. His eyelids felt heavy and he didn't think he could move if he wanted to. But nothing was going to change by continuing to lie there. Maybe he could get a snack or something, maybe some warm milk. That was supposed to help you go to sleep, right? He didn't like the thought of having to get up, but at this point he was willing to try anything.

Using his super stealthy ninja training, Lloyd slowly heaved himself up from his bed and crept over the old, wooden floorboards to the door. Thankfully, Cole's snoring would most likely cover up any little noise he made, and he was able to gently open and close the door without disturbing anyone.

Through the hall and down to the kitchen, his way was lit by the pale blue rays of light that shone through the windows. He flipped on the light switch, and squinted. Shuffling forward, he held on to the edge of the counters in his weariness.

What was he in the mood for? Now that he was here, he found that he was rather hungry. He opened the freezer, hoping to find something to satisfy his sweet tooth, but didn't find anything. But that was probably for the best, he told himself. Uncle Wu never let him have sugar at midnight before, so Lloyd probably shouldn't have any now.

Recently, Lloyd had found himself making more and more decisions like this, choosing to be _responsible_ rather than go with his gut. Sometimes literally. But it just made sense: of course he should spend another hour practicing his kata until it was perfect, those Serpentine weren't going to beat up themselves; of course he should go to sleep instead of staying up to play ten more rounds of Fist to Face 2, he didn't want to be tired in the morning.

Lost in thought, Lloyd backed up and unwittingly collided with a drawer handle. He was so surprised that he whipped around and knocked his elbow on the counter. With a yelp, he lost his balance and fell to the floor.

Lloyd hissed in pain as he rolled onto his back. Curse this gangly new body of his. It was too _big_ , he kept getting in his own way like this.

"Lloyd?" a muffled voice called from within the ship.

The young ninja cast his eyes to the ceiling with a huff, his head thumping on the floor. Great, now he'd woken the whole ship with his clumsiness. Likely they'd get a good laugh out of him. "I'm fine!" he called, hoping to dissuade any concern.

Kai appeared in the doorway just as Lloyd was sitting up. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Lloyd answered grumpily. He just wanted to go back to bed and try to get some sleep.

Kai smirked as Cole, Jay, and Zane appeared behind him. "Kid, you're on the floor. In the kitchen. That's not nothing."

"You weren't try to steal some midnight sweets again, were you?" Cole asked.

Before Lloyd could remind Cole that he wasn't a child anymore, Nya's voice cut him off. "What's going on?" she asked irritably from behind the wall of ninja blocking the doorway. Without waiting for a reply, she shoved her way between the boys.

"Apparently Lloyd sleeps in the kitchen, now," Jay answered.

Nya frowned. "You look terrible," she said to Lloyd. Kai burst out laughing.

Zane was giving him a similar look. "I had the same thought."

"Thanks?" That was also a new feature. Lloyd was discovering new levels of sarcasm that he hadn't known existed.

The grumpy samurai knelt down beside him and put the back of her hand to his forehead. Her frown deepened. "That's got to be a fever," she said. "Zane?" She nodded the ice ninja over.

Now everyone was putting their hands on Lloyd's face.

"Dude, you are burning up!" Cole exclaimed.

"Agreed, his temperature is definitely above average," Zane confirmed.

Lloyd shook his head. "I am _not_ sick!" he said incredulously. "The Green Ninja doesn't get sick!"

"But he can fall on his butt on the kitchen floor," Jay added.

"Shut up."

Kai began clapping. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Infallible Green Ninja!"

"Come on, Lloyd, you need to get to bed." Nya took his arm and helped him to his feet.

But Lloyd was starting to get really frustrated. He ripped his arm from her grip – maybe a little too harshly. "I told you, I'm fine. I just tripped. I'm not used to being this tall."

"Please," Nya said, rolling her eyes. "I know the difference between being sick and puberty. You need rest."

Blushing, Lloyd ducked his head and left his teammates snickering behind him. He headed back towards the bedroom; with any luck he could finally get some sleep, and then this would all be over in the morning.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Next part will come tomorrow, maybe early morning if I remember, or else in the afternoon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the second part, and it's longer than the last one, yay!**

* * *

Lloyd still felt heavy with weariness when he woke up the next morning. Still too tired to get out of bed and still too hot under all his blankets. But fatigue was never an excuse for a ninja; he had responsibilities, so staying in bed was not an option.

Rubbing his tired eyes, Lloyd sat up and took a look at the clock. His heart skipped a beat – he was late! Lloyd ripped off his sheets and sprang to his feet. By now, the others would have already eaten breakfast and would be waiting for him in the training room. Using Spinjitzu, he hurriedly changed into his uniform, then dashed into the hall. Moments later, he burst through the training room door, already apologizing.

"I'm so sorry! I overslept – I'm just exhausted after last night, I wasn't able to get any sleep, but it won't happen again, I swear."

But the guys were all giving him strange looks.

Kai shook his head. "Lloyd, you were supposed to _stay_ in bed."

Nya stepped forward. "You really are sick, Lloyd. You need to rest, not train."

"But –" Lloyd still wasn't convinced. He couldn't be sick, not now. Not when he still had so much to learn and the Serpentine were still out there and his dad was still making threats to conquer Ninjago.

"It's okay, man, just take a day off," Cole said, trying to sound encouraging. "You'll probably be better by tomorrow and we can just continue your training then."

"Personally, I'd kill to be in your shoes," Jay grumbled.

Lloyd opened his mouth to argue, but then he felt it, a razor in his lungs that turned his words into coughing. He turned halfway, coughing into the crook of his elbow. Okay, so maybe he was a little sick. But that wasn't an excuse not to train.

He cleared his throat when he'd finished, and Zane came and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You have already made significant progress since your transformation. You don't need to feel bad about taking some time for yourself."

Well now they really weren't going to listen to him. He shrugged off Zane's hand. "Fine. I'll go." Trying not to pout, he turned and exited the room.

"Lloyd – wait!" He heard footsteps following him down the hall, and Kai caught up beside him. "Look, I know how you feel, man. I've always hated getting sick, too. But it'll be over before you know it!" When Lloyd didn't reply, he continued, "It's like the others were saying, just enjoy it. Read your comic books, or something. We could even hang out, if you wanted, all of us."

Lloyd sighed. "No. I think I will try to get some more sleep. Maybe then I'll feel better."

"Alright, well, holler if you need anything."

* * *

When he woke up again, Lloyd was feeling less tired, but he was coughing more and he could feel chills crawling up his arms. No way they would let him train in this state. Not if they knew.

So Lloyd kept the door shut and, as quietly as he could, practiced by himself. He fought against imaginary foes, just like he had as a kid – just as he had a few weeks ago – but with more finesse and precision . . . and real moves that he didn't just make up on the spot.

In his mind's eye, he was fighting off Serpentine left and right, saving the world as the Green Ninja. He was too quick for them, untouchable. Although, in reality, that wouldn't be the case. He couldn't seem to keep his balance, which made every move sloppy.

Part of the reason that Lloyd knew he needed to keep practicing was the fact that every punch and every kick, every block and every spin was so much different, now. His limbs were longer and his hands and feet were bigger and everything seemed to get in the way. He had more muscle, too, which made everything heavier. It was a lot to get used to. But it was important that he get used to it as soon as possible.

Lloyd jumped when the door opened a crack, and briefly wondered how to appear nonchalant.

Kai poke his head in. "You're up!" The red ninja gently kicked the door open, a steaming bowl in his hands.

Doing his best to look like it was perfectly normal to be standing, sweaty and out of breath whilst supposedly bedridden, Lloyd asked in as innocent a tone as he could manage, "What's that?"

"Lunch," Kai answered. Was it that late already? "Nya made it. I think she's been worrying about you all day. I could tell there's something on her mind. She wanted to check in on you earlier, but I said she shouldn't wake you." As he said this, Kai was moving across the room very carefully, so as not to spill the bowl's contents. He set it down near Lloyd's bed, then sat himself on the green sheets. He patted the space next to him, inviting Lloyd to take a seat as well.

Knowing that he was probably about to get a good scolding, Lloyd begrudgingly sat. Kai wasn't usually one to take the time to properly scold the youngest ninja, but when he did, he made every word count. For a ninja who was supposed to be so impulsive and hot-tempered, Kai sometimes had an odd amount of patience in these situations.

For a moment Kai just looked at him, and Lloyd wondered if he was really that disappointed. "You've changed a lot, and that's been tough on all of us, but I know it's been worse on you."

Lloyd just shrugged and looked away. He was over it. Mostly.

Kai leaned forward, trying to meet his eyes. "We're really proud of you, though. You've been working hard to be the Green Ninja, and that's awesome. But Lloyd, that's not all you are."

Now Lloyd frowned, his brow furrowed, not sure what Kai meant by that.

"Look, you have this whole destiny and everything, a responsibility to the people of Ninjago, I get that. I mean, we all do. And of course we all take our role as guardians of this world very seriously – but there's still more to living our lives than waiting for the next fight. What I'm trying to say is, you may have had to leave your childhood behind, but you don't have to leave your whole _life_ behind. You can still have fun and relax – take up a hobby, or something, y'know? Just don't let war become who you are."

Lloyd shook his head in complete disagreement with the older ninja. What was he thinking? This _was_ a war. A war that was ripping his family apart and turning them against each other, a war that would force them to fight until only one side remained. Lloyd was older now; he understood these things better, maybe even better than Kai. He was the Green Ninja, that's what was important. Until they won, his role as the Green Ninja came first. "Maybe after this is all over," he said aloud.

"You can't wait that long."

"My dad –"

"Lloyd, your dad doesn't want to fight you any more than you want to fight him. He's not going to show up any minute, demanding a final showdown. It's okay if you take one day off."

Lloyd crossed his arms defensively. "I just don't find it very relaxing to lie in my bed all day."

"Oh, no, I'm not asking you to do that," Kai said, shaking his head. "I'd hate that, too. I just don't want you over-exerting yourself. Hold on, I think I have an idea. I'll be _right_ back." Kai got up and darted out of the room.

With a sigh, Lloyd fell backward on his bed. Maybe no one understood him.

* * *

 **So, this story ended up getting a bit deeper than I originally intended, but I actually like where it went. Anyway, check back tomorrow for the final part, and see what Kai has in store for his kid brother! ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, here's the last chapter. Enjoy!**

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Lloyd was starting to doze off when Kai returned. He hadn't been gone very long, but Lloyd, admittedly, wasn't at the top of his game. He jolted awake when he heard Kai say, "Get ready for the best sick day of your life!"

Groggily, Lloyd sat up to see his brothers filing through the doorway. Cole and Zane were carrying the TV – all the way from the game room! Nya was hidden behind a pile of blankets, and Jay followed with his arms full of assorted junk food. As Cole and Zane set the TV down, Kai walked over to Lloyd, carrying the gaming console, controller, and their video game collection.

Lloyd didn't know what to think. "What is this?"

"I literally just told you," Kai said as he set down his things. "It's the best sick day of your life!"

"Does Sensei Wu know about this?" Lloyd asked with a chuckle.

"Eh, sort of, but let's not go there."

Jay dropped his horde of food beside Lloyd on his bed. "We figure the details aren't important."

Nya was draping a blanket overhead, anchoring it on the bunk beds. "Jay, I told you not to bring that stuff. Lloyd needs _real_ food to help him recover."

"Nothing better to cure a fever than good ol' fashioned chocolate!" Jay argued. Nya threw a pillow at him in reply.

Lloyd watched in bewilderment as his brothers continued to set up "Fort Ninja" around him. They draped blankets all around the bunk beds, blocking off any outside light and completely enclosing the space. They threw pillows all over the floor, and moved the cabinet in front of Lloyd's bed, placing the TV on top of it. Then they made Lloyd move his bed horizontally against the wall, and they all crowded around him on either his mattress or the cushioned floor.

At first, Lloyd was hesitant; it all seemed a little overboard just to make him feel better, and what was with the fort? He wasn't a kid anymore. Even still, he soon found himself getting into the spirit of things. After all, how could he resist when Kai put in Lloyd's favorite video game, the fire ninja taunting that he would beat him. He didn't, of course, and then it was Lloyd's turn to do the teasing. For a while, Lloyd continued to play against his friends, the others taking turns to be his opponent while everyone else picked a favorite to cheer for. Eventually, though, he insisted that someone else take his place, and they all had a good laugh as they watched Jay and Cole go against each other.

"Ha-ha, you're no match for me! Take that!" Jay had been about to do something he had never done before: beat Cole at his own game. The two boys were sitting on the floor in front of the bed, and everyone crowded behind them, taking sides.

"Come on, Cole, don't let him beat you!" Lloyd was cheering, even though Cole didn't seem to have a chance at catching up.

But then Jay's avatar suddenly went stiff. "Hey, what gives!" He pressed various buttons, but nothing happened on the screen.

Cole had an evil grin. "What was that, Jay?" he said as he took the opportunity to melee Jay's frozen character. "You think you can beat me?"

"Hey, wait a minute! That's not fair!" Jay banged on his controller, trying to make it work again.

"Sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of my victory!"

Jay's health bar was dropping dangerously low, nearing the same level Cole's was at. "No no no!" Frantically, Jay zapped his controller with a little spark of lightning, but to no avail. "It can't end like this!"

By now everyone (even Nya) was on Cole's side.

"Get him!"

"Kick his butt, Cole!"

"Bam! That's how it's done!" Cole shouted as Jay's avatar crumpled to the ground and GAME OVER flashed on the screen. The victor dropped his controller and began high fiving everyone.

Jay leaned back against the bed and laid his arm over his eyes. "I have no friends," he moaned.

Nya helped Jay figure out what went wrong with his controller (apparently it just needed a change of batteries), and he was finally able to get it working again. He then insisted on a rematch, but Cole refused. Lloyd instead chose a game that they could all play.

"Lloyd, stop that! Who's team are you even on?"

"Umm . . . my own?"

"He's a double agent, and he's on our team!" Jay exclaimed.

"That's not how this game works," Kai said, getting a little frustrated.

"Perhaps the rules should change," Zane suggested. Usually he was a stickler for the rules, but right now he really didn't want to lose.

"Lloyd, I'll give you this chocolate bar if you say you're on our team!" Jay waved the last bar of milk chocolate in the air.

Lloyd shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm kind of full. Just thinking about it makes me sick. I might have had a little too much candy. Why did you have to bring so much?"

"I told you, candy is the perfect cure!"

"Yeah, you would say that, wouldn't you? If you could, you would eat candy for three meals a day and then sleep on a mattress of chocolate."

"Said the guy who sleeps in the kitchen!"

"That's it! Now I'm a triple agent!" Lloyd declared and turned on Jay.

As they played and laughed and teased, the sun outside sank low and eventually dipped below the horizon. Lloyd, still being a little ill, was the first to drift off as things toned down. Then, one by one, they all fell sound asleep in a great pile under their little fortress of blankets.

* * *

Sensei Wu had been glad to release his students from their training after Kai had explained the situation. He, too, worried about his nephew's sudden change in attitude. While it was good that Lloyd was taking his role more seriously, Wu didn't want him losing sight of the important things in life. So he had given the rest of them the day off without a fuss. It wasn't long before things got loud, and he could hear them from all the way on other side of the Bounty. It was music to his ears.

The old sensei kept his distance all afternoon, but as the day drew to a close, he decided that he should at least check in to see if Lloyd was feeling any better – and to make sure they hadn't broken anything in their rowdiness, or that they weren't going to stay up all night long.

When Wu opened the door to the boys' room, he was a little surprised to see their beds shrouded in blankets. There was a light emanating from beneath. He could hear their faint snores, indicating that they were asleep under all that mess. Using the same skills he had taught each of them, he crept over and peaked inside.

The light was coming from the TV and illuminated the six of them, all crammed onto Lloyd's bed. They were a tangled pile of colorful limbs sleeping in what looked to be the most uncomfortable way that a person could think up. The green ninja himself was still sitting up against the wall, leaning against Kai. The red ninja was sitting right on the edge of the bed, and it was a wonder that he hadn't fallen off yet. His arms were crossed and he sat slumped against the wall. Cole was a whole other story. He looked as if he had tried to lie down and get comfortable, his legs splayed across Lloyd and Kai's laps, but his torso was half dangling off the edge of the bed, one arm hanging out in the air. Next to Lloyd, Zane had his knees drawn in and was hunched over, his head propped up in his hand. Finally, Nya was curled against Jay on the other end of the bed, head on his chest, one of his arms wrapped around her shoulders. All six of them were practically drowning in candy wrappers.

It was a sight unlike any that Wu had witnessed before, and it warmed his heart to see them all together like this. He smiled to himself. This was the family that they had built in the face of darkness, a family of different backgrounds and qualities, with a love that his nephew had never known until now. Despite the troubles that Lloyd faced in the absence of his own parents, at least he would always have this. That was more than Wu could have ever hoped for him.

Silently, their sensei shut off the TV. He then took a candy bar from the stash and left them to their dreams.

* * *

 **I wish I could eat candy when I'm sick . . .**

 **Anywho, I had fun with this little story, and I hope you all did, too. Let me know what you thought, and thanks for reading!**


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